Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-06-18

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mind; and, unfortunately, 1t was an overmas-
tering and, as he already guessed, an endur-
ing thing. He cursed himself in his shame
and anger as he sat there recovering his equi-
librium on the broken chair and tying a
handkerchief tight round his wound. What
fool he had been! Why had he not waited
to see which of the two he really took TOT
Why had jess gone away like that and
thrown him into temptation with her pretty
sisteri He was sure now that she had cared
for him all along Well, there it was, and
precious bad business tool One thing he was
clear about; it should go no further. He was
not going to break his engagement to Bessie;
it was not to be thought Of But, all the
same, he felt sorry for himself and sorry for
jess too.
Just then, however, the bandage on his leg
slipped, and the wound began to bleed so fast
that he was fain to limp into the house for as
sistance.
Jess, who had apparently quite got over
her agitation, was standing by the table talk
ing to Mrs. Neville, who was persuading her
to swallow some of the brandy she had been
at such pains to fetch. The moment she
caught sight of Johns face, which had now
turned CHASTITY white, and saw the red line
trucking down his boot, she took up her hat
that was lying on the table
"You had better lie down on the old bed
stead in the little ROOM" she said, Il am
going for the doctor"
Assisted by Mrs. Neville, he was only too
glad to take this advice, but long before the
doctor arrived John had followed Jess
example, and, to the intense alarm of Mrs
Neville, who was vainly endeavoring to
check the flow of blood, which had now be
come copious, gone off into dead faint. On
the arrival of the doctor it appeared that the
bullet had grazed the walls of one of the
arteries on the inside of the thigh without
actually cutting them, but that they had now
given way, which rendered it necessary TO
tie the artery. This operation, with the
assistance of chloroform he proceeded TO
successfully carry out on the spot, announc-
ing afterward that great deal of blood had
already been lost.
When at last it was over, Mrs Neville
asked about John being moved up to the
hospital, but the doctor declared that he
must stop where he was. and that jess must
stop and help to nurse him, with the assist
ance of soldiers wife he would send down.
Dear me-" said Mrs Neville, THAT is very
awkward
at will be awkwar1er if you try to move
him at present. was the grim reply, ''for the
silk may slip, in which case the artery will
probably break out again, and he will bleed
to death"
As for Jess she said nothing, but set to
work to make preparations for her task of
nursing. As fate had once more thrown
them together. she accepted the position
gladly, though it is only fair TO say that she
would not have sought it.
In about an hours time, just as 5ohn was
beginning to recover from the painful effects
of the chloroform. the soldiers wife who was
to assist her in nursing arrived. She was, as
Jess soon discovered, not only low stamp of
woman but both careless and ignorant into
the bargain, and all that She could be relied
on to dc was to carry out some Of the rougher
work of the sick room. When John woke up
and discovered whose was the presence that
was bending him and whose the cool
hand that lay upon his forehead, he groaned
again and went to sleep. But jess did not 60
to sleep. She sat BY him there throughout
the night, until at last the cold lights of the
dawn came cleaning through the window
and fell upon the white face of the man she
loved He was still sleeping soundly, and as
| the night was exceedingly hot and oppressive,
she had left nothing but a sheet over him
| Before she went TO rest a little herself she
turned to look at him once more, and as she
did 50 saw the sheet suddenly grow red with
blood The artery had broken out again
Calling to the soldiers wife to run across
to the doctor, jess shook her patient until he
pol-a for ba ,yaS sIaarine, SuaatIx tlrc,,ob
| the whole thing, and would. no doubt. have
continued to do so until he glided into
deeper sleep; and then between them they did
what they could to qnench that dreadful
pumping flow, jess knotting her haudker-
chief round his leg and twisting it with a
| stick, while he pressed his thumb upon the
severed artery But strive as they would
they were only partially successful and jess
began to think that he would die in her arms
from loss of blood. 1t was agonizing to wait
there minute after minute and see his life
ebbing away.
| Al don't think ! shall last much longer,
jess. God bless You. dcar,n he said The
place is beginning to so round and round"
| Poor soul, she could only shut her teeth
and wait for the end
Presently Johns pressure on the wounded
artery relaxed, and he tainted off. and. oddly
enough, just then the flow of blood diminished
| considerably. Another five minutes, and she
heard the quick step of the doctor coming up
the path.
Thank God You have come! He has bled
dreadfully.r
i was out attending poor fellow who
was shot through the lung and that fool of a
| ft.l l.
| of following / have brought YOU an orderly
instead of her BY Jove, be has hled! sup
pose the silk has slipped Well, there is only
one thing for it. Orderly, the chloroform. =
And then followed another long half hour
of slashing and tying and horror. and when
at last the unfortunate John opened his ewes
again lie was too weak to speak, and could
only smile feebly For three days after this
he was in dangerous state, for if the artery
had broken out for the third time the chances
were that, having SO little blood left in his
veins, he would lie before anything could be
done for him. At times he was very delirious
from weakness, and these were the dangerous
hours, for it was almost impossible to keep
him quiet, and every movement threw jess
into an agony of terror lest the silk fastenings
of the artery should break away Indeed
there was only one way in which she could
keep him quiet, and that was by laying her
slim white hand upon his forehead or giving
it to him to hold. Oddly enough, this had
more effect upon his fevered mind than any
thing else, For hour after hour she would
sit thus, though her arm ached and her back
felt as if it were going to break in two, unit
at last she was rewarded by seeing his wild
| III o1a =.
peaceful sleep.
TO he eontinucd)